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Jade Hand
Comprising both the Merchant Guild and the Emerald Republic, the Jade Hand is one of five factions vying for control of Skytopia. Their capital is Eltsina. The Merchant Guild The Merchant Guild was originally formed in 169 AU by a group of aristocrats within the Commonwealth of Skytopia. In 183 A.U., the Merchant Guild underwent an internal power struggle, known as the Guild War. This resulted in Dasha Eltsina replacing Verron Kadath as leader of the Guild, earning her the title "Guildmistress". Once the Commonwealth began to collapse during the Skytopian Civil War, the Merchant Guild asserted itself as a separate entity. The Green Republic Frustrated by a lack of communication and organization within the Merchant Guild, some members elected to formalize themselves into a working and cooperative organization. The Green Republic first emerged from amongst the Merchant Guild during the Red Oppression, when all the skylands flew the Red Faction's flag shortly before the Unobtainium Crisis in 194 AU. The Green Republic was created in an attempt to unite a fractured and disjointed nation, and reassert the Green Faction as a significant force in Skytopia. The First Green Government In these early days, there was no formal leadership. Understandably, poor communication, lax recruiting efforts and an absence of true planning and vision hamstrung their ability to completely meld as a unified nation. Recognizing the need for firm leadership, Kenisu Ichojari stepped forward to volunteer his services and guide the newly born Republic. "Keni" ran unopposed in the Republic's first formal elections and was appointed the first President of the Green Republic. Shortly after taking office, the first formal orders were issued by President Ichojari. A plan was formalized to retake several skylands that had been lost in the Southeast sections of Skytopia. Specifically, it called for groups of skyrates to descend on specific skylands and concentrate efforts until those skylands were returned to Green control. Within days, Green reestablished their positions on the maps of Skytopia. During his Presidency, Kenisu Ichojari saw the need to create a division of offices. This group of officers came to be known as the "Green Cabinet" (years later, with the establishment of the Emerald Republic, this group was renamed to the "Emerald Cabinet"). The Ichojari Administration consisted of: *'President' - Kenisu Ichojari *'Vice President' - Decimator *'Secretary of the Interior' - Calvin November *'Secretary of Foreign Affairs' - Rash McAllister *'Secretary of Defense' - Styker The Unobtainium Crisis and the Rebellion Word came to the members of the Green Faction that a large deposit of Unobtainium was threatening the people of Tortuga. However, the Greens had become callous of helping any other nation, as both the Red Faction and the Blue Faction had already heard from and given a course of action to their appropriate representatives. Mistress Eltsina finally appeared before the Greens asking for their opinion of what response to make. However, as she hadn't appeared to them until what some felt was the last possible moment, many Greens had become wary of the Mistress and suspicious of her true motives. It took several days, but Greens told the Mistress to take whatever course of action was necessary to help save Tortuga. She left with the promise that she would return victorious. When Eltsina departed, Greens lost all formal contact with her and had no idea how she was going to get to Tortuga. She did guarantee, beforehand, that she would be the first there. What she did not reveal, however, was that she was going there by Skytopia's only (known) submersible craft. Guildmistress Eltsina was given charge of plans for new aircraft by Lord Gilbert. However, Greens still do not know what she has done with them, or what she plans to do with them. New Skytopia In the wake of the Unobtanium Crisis, the Green Republic, as well as the rest of Skytopia, was in shambles. The Pirates of Skytopia had taken it upon themselves to take over all the Skylands, save for the capitals of each faction. They even went so far as to take Skylands previously unheard of. The Green President, Kenisu Ichojari, called for the Republic to retake a stronghold, but this time this call was heard by members of the Republic who had long since been silent. Some new members did not see why there was a leader, or why he deserved his office. Many disputed that President Ichojari didn't deserve to be the leader of anything, and biased that he wouldn't be able to lead. However, President Ichojari continued to work for the newly established Republic, unwavering. He introduced new plans to the people, gave them their own communication lines, opened up a national news channel, and began working to secure the nation. The Green Faction became noteworthy, again. Through the valiant effort of all her citizens, Skytopia once more proudly waved Green banners to show that the efforts of many Green pilots were not in vain. During the final days of the Second Unification, the Green Republic defended the Skyland of Eltsina until the very end and was the last to fall to the crushing Crimson Empire's forces. The World Changes, Once More Once again, all flights were grounded as a massive storm overtook all of Skytopia. Many of the skylands drifted into new positions again and the world was thrown into chaos. After some hard work, the four skylands surrounding the capital, Eltsina, once again flew the green flag of the Republic and efforts began in earnest to assess the damage. Elections Perhaps exacerbated by absence of Vice President Mad-Hatter, who had been missing-in-action since shortly after being voted into office in 196 AU (June 2007), questions began to rise concerning the legitimacy of, then President Kenisu Ichojari's administration. Some in the Republic voiced the desire to hold another election that would expand the Green Republic's governing body beyond one President and one (MIA) Vice President. An election was organized. After accepting nominations for 5 offices (President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Secretary of the Interior), the polls were opened to all Green Republic members for voting for five days. Kenisu Ichojari was reelected to office of President of the Green Republic. Decimator won the closest race of the election to become Vice President. The three new cabinet positions were also filled: Stryker as Secretary of Defense, Rash McAllister as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and Calvin November as Secretary of the Interior. Vice President? Shortly after the election polls closed, newly elected Vice President Decimator disappeared. In response, humorists quipped that the Vice President's office on Eltsina actually houses a black hole. In an auspicious turn of events, former-Vice President Mad-Hatter resurfaced (his reported "death" had been an obvious mistake) and offered to return to the office. Wary of the office becoming instantly vacant again, members of the Green Republic also opted to appoint an Assistant Vice President. Redstorm, the second place finisher in the previous election for Vice President, volunteered. End of the Ichojari Admnistration Shortly afterward, Green Republic officials began planning for the next elections. Many expected President Ichojari to run, once more, unopposed but to the surprise of many, two candidates announced their candidacies: Lokibaltazar and Benefactor. Lokibaltazar, who was first to announce his candidacy, called for sweeping reforms and promised to bring change to the Republic. Shortly afterward, Benefactor announced his bid for the Presidency as well. Benefactor campaign promised to bring about many changes that some felt President Ichojari had failed to achieve. Some deemed this "an anti-Keni" campaign and allegations a "mud-slinging" campaign arose. In response, Benefactor adjusted his platform to a "No Guilt" campaign, a message that would later resonate well with voters at the polls. Less than two weeks before the polls opened, President Ichojari resigned from office and removed his name from consideration for the upcoming elections. The exact details of his reasons for the swift departure are hotly debated amongst political pundits, but some quote claims of being "overstressed and overworked for a thankless job". Vice President Mad-Hatter was thrust into the office of President. During his short term as President, Hatter promised the elections would not be delayed and worked diligently to help get "the Republic back on its feet." Skylark Quintessa also announced her bid for President, opposing Benefactor in the election. While the race remained close throughout the elections, Benefactor won with almost 73% of the vote and took office in late 204 AU. The Emerald Republic Reforms were needed. To underscore the sweeping changes planned by the new administration, the name "Emerald Republic" was officially adopted. Newly-elected Secretary of Foreign Affairs Mr. Tusks, made a public announcement on an Embassy Thread, displaying the new name, a new flag and motto: "Onward to Profit!". President Benefactor began his administration by attempting to restore ties with the Guild, stating that since Green had proved itself to the rest of Skytopia, there was no need to continue (what he felt to be) cold-shouldering the Guildmistress. Once severed ties with the Guild slowly began to rebuild. Government The Emerald Republic holds regular elections to fill five offices within the government, known as "The Emerald Cabinet." Emerald Cabinet members have access to the Private Chambers on the more secure channels, as well as powers regarding decisions in their respective offices. There are five offices. Their titles and responsibilities are as follows: *'President' -- Commander-in-Chief, the President oversees the other four offices and makes decisions based on the Republic's best interests. *'Vice President' -- Second-in-Command, the Vice President acts as the chief adviser to the President, as well as steps into the duties and responsibilities of the President when the President can no longer fulfill said duties or responsibilities. *'Secretary of Defense' -- The Secretary of Defense coordinates the Republic Army and organizes influence runners by issuing orders that pertain to an overall strategy or plan. *'Secretary of Interior' -- The Secretary of Interior maintains and secures the channels of internal communication within the Republic. *'Secretary of Foreign Affairs' -- The Secretary of Foreign Affairs gathers Intel and makes decisions regarding the other political entities of Skytopia. Past Administration The Emerald Republic Officers for the 205 AU - 207 AU term (March 2008 - May 2008) were: *'President' - Benefactor *'Vice President' - Mad-Hatter *'Secretaries of Defense' - Bouchie Topturner, Diver Dan *'Secretary of the Interior' - Calvin November *'Secretary of Foreign Affairs' - Mr. Tusks The Emerald Republic Officers for the 207 AU - 210 AU term (May 2008 - August 2008) were: *'President' - Mad-Hatter *'Vice President' - Diver Dan *'Secretary of Defense' - Athrawes *'Secretary of the Interior' - Calvin November *'Secretary of Foreign Affairs' - Dodgson Lewis Current Administration The Emerald Republic Officers for the 211 AU - 213 AU term (September 2008 - November 2008) are: *'President' - Dodgson Lewis *'Vice President' - Borevich *'Secretary of Defense' - Athrawes {Resigned late 211 AU} *'Secretary of the Interior' - Calvin November *'Secretary of Foreign Affairs' - Taricha NOTE: Due to the recent game reset, terms of office have been extended. They will end 6 weeks after Skyrates comes back online. The Jade Hand In 209 A.U., the Merchant Guild and the Emerald Republic finalized negotiations in a partnership agreement between their two bodies. Events surrounding the formation of the original Green Republic had led to somewhat cold relations between Guild and Republic, and for many years the two had had little concourse with each other. The Jade Hand was formed when Guild and Republic leadership realized that both parties would be better served by working together, as they each posessed significant influence in differing areas of world affairs. The new arrangement was rebranded "The Jade Hand", and is currently considered the official name of the faction, though the term "Green Faction" is often used in popular expression. Jade Hand